LG G5

The LG G5 is the followup to the G4. Announced at MWC 2016, the 5.5-inch G5 is a powerhouse offering from LG that features not one — but two — rear cameras, a removable battery, expandable storage and is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Breaking from its design scheme of the last few years, LG is going with a more traditional side button placement on the G5, rather than the back-mounted volume buttons we’ve almost gotten used to. The G5 also had various modular attachments that work by actually removing the lower portion of the phone.

LG G5 Review Video

LG G5 Hardware

The G5 has departed from the plastic design of the G4 and opted for more metal all around. The G5 is a great looking phone, but the modular form might be a bit for some to get used to. Gone are the back volume buttons from the G4, and they’ve been moved to the more user-frendly side of the phone, however the power button and fingerprint reader still remain on the rear.

Powering the G5 is a Snapdragon 820 processor accompanied by 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The microSD slot allows for expandable storage of up to 2 terabytes as well. A 2,800mAh battery keeps it all ticking away.

Cameras are a big thing on the G5, with an 8MP front facer, as well as two rear cameras. There’s a single 16MP camera for standard shooting, and an 8-megapixel wide-angle (135-degree) camera, backed up by LG’s laser autofocus magic for focusing in the dark.

The modular slot on the bottom of the G5 has a release button to allow for new accessories to be swapped out. You can add in modules that include a camera grip with additional battery or an auto accessory that outputs 32-bit sound.

The G5 is available in Silver, Titan, Gold and Pink.

LG G5 Specs

Category

Features

Operating system

Android 6.0.1

Processor

Snapdragon 820

Display

5.3-inch IPS quad-HD quantum display (2560x1440, 554 dpi)

Storage

32GB UFS ROM, microSD up to 2TB

RAM

4GB LPDDR4

Rear camera

16MP main, 8MP wide-angle (135 degrees)

Front camera

8MP

Battery

2800 mph removable

Modules

LG Cam Plus (camera grip with 1100 mph)LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O Play

Dimensions

149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm

Weight

159 grams

Networks

LTE/3G/2G

Connectivity

Wifi 802.11a/b/g/n/acUSB Type C, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2

Colors

Silver/Titan/Gold/Pink

LG G5 Software

The LG G5 is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with a layer of LG on top. It’s fairly standard Marshmallow, but there are a few things that LG chose to make their own. One of the biggest changes is that there is no app drawer on the stock launcher. LG opts for all of your app icons to reside on the home screen and in folders, saying it helps to prevent user confusion over apps. It’s definitely an interesting take (yet LG isn’t alone) but you can certainly always choose a third-party launcher if you’re not cool with it.

LG G5 Camera

Here we shouldn’t just say “camera”, but rather “cameras” — of which the LG G5 has three. The front-facing camera is a standard 8MP one, while the rear houses two separate lenses. One is a 16MP camera for standard on-the-go shooting, and the other is an 8-megapixel wide-angle (135-degree) camera for, well, wide-angle shooting.

The camera itself performs on-par (or even better in some cases) than the G4 and V10 cameras. There’s a manual shooting mode with RAW support, and LG has some fun camera software that makes shooting and editing a breeze.

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